Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis (Fla.) is prepared to sign a law that says people in government buildings or schools must use the bathroom that matches the gender they were assigned at birth or they will be committing a misdemeanor.

Its just the latest law passed in the United States that targets transgender people. DeSantis, who is widely believed to be launching a bid for the presidency in the coming days, has been on the forefront of anti-LGBTQ laws. Its part of a pattern being seen across the country as the GOP has made anti-trans policies one of their top priorities.

But as DeSantis looks toward the White House and Republicans look toward the 2024 elections, is the embrace of transphobic policies a political winner, or is it cruelty for crueltys sake?

In the state houses controlled by conservatives, proposals that ban gender-affirming care for minors, attempt to bar transgender people from public life under the guise of drag bans and prevent trans people from using the bathroom or playing on sports teams that match their gender identity are at the top of their to-do lists.

But recent polling shows that the majority of voters oppose laws that dictate what kind of health care a trans person can receive or, at least, that there is no large swell of voters eager for these regressive policies.

A March NPR/PBS/Marist poll found that among adults, 54% of them opposed laws that would criminalize gender-affirming care for minors. A March Data for Progress poll of likely voters found that 64% of respondents thought that the number of anti-trans bills was excessive and amounted to political theater. And in an April Fox News survey of registered voters, 54% said attacks on trans families were more problematic than trans women in sports.